In real estate's headier days the sprawling mansion was offered at a high of $18.9 million but was priced at $12.9 million before being taken off the market early last year for the lease. Apparently the fact that Spears slept there adds cachet but no dollar value.

The Tudor-style main house sits on 3.4 acres with guest quarters, two staff apartments, a lake, a swimming pool and a tennis court. There are 10 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms in more than 19,000 square feet of living space.

Spears, 30, is recognized as one of the top-selling female recording artists of all time. Her hit songs include "…Baby One More Time," "Womanizer" and "Till the World Ends." She released "Femme Fatale," her seventh studio album, last year.

Tutor led a group of investors two years ago in the $663-million purchase of Miramax Films.

The construction magnate's daughter, Tracy T. Maltas of Partners Trust in Brentwood, is the listing agent.

Venice studio spawned Incubus album

Frontman Brandon Boyd of the rock bank Incubus has sold his house in Venice for $2,705,454.

A hotel and notions building when built in 1905, the property retains a storefront appearance. The 3,500-square-foot single-family home features exposed brick walls, pressed-tin ceilings, skylights, a glass-block exterior wall and a rooftop deck. There are three bedrooms and three bathrooms. The 640-square-foot soundproof music studio/guest quarters includes a kitchenette.

Incubus recorded its seventh studio album at the house. "If Not Now, When?" was released last year.

Boyd, who helped form the alternative rock band more than two decades ago, sings, plays guitar and is a percussionist.

He bought the property in 2005 for $2.725 million from actress Maria Bello.

Brad Wiseman of Pinnacle Estate Properties was the listing agent and Negin Dumoulin of LeMarc Investments represented the buyer, according to the Multiple Listing Service.

Closing the playbook in Bel-Air

Former UCLA football coach Rick Neuheisel has listed his house in Bel-Air for sale at $4.995 million.

The Cape Cod-inspired traditional, built in 2008, opens to a grand foyer. The 6,000 square feet of living space features wainscoting, coffered ceilings and ocean and city views. Including the master bedroom, which has a sitting area and balcony, there are five bedrooms and six bathrooms.

Neuheisel, 51, was the head football coach at his alma mater from 2008 until last year. Although the Bruins won the first Pac-12 South Division title, Neuheisel was fired after the 6-6 season.

Public records show Neuheisel bought the property in 2008 for $4.5 million.

Cindy Ambuehl of Partners Trust in Brentwood is the listing agent.

Fortune smiles on two generations of owners

An estate in Bel-Air that was previously owned by television host Merv Griffin is for sale at $6.995 million.

The 5,500-square-foot single-story house is set at the end of a gated driveway beside a circular motor court. The red-tile-roofed home features four bedrooms, wood-paneled ceilings, expanses of windows and 20-foot-high ceilings in the living room. The 2.5-acre site includes a tennis court, an infinity pool with spa, mature trees and stretches of lawn.

The property, being marketed outside the MLS, is for sale for the first time in more than 19 years. The seller is Albert Brooks, 64, the actor-filmmaker whose bad-guy role in last year's "Drive" drew critical acclaim. His credits also include guest spots on "The Simpsons" since 1990.

Griffin, who died in 2007 at 82, hosted the talk show bearing his name for more than two decades starting in the early 1960s. He created game shows including "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune" through his own production company.

Billy Rose and Mauricio Umansky of the Agency in Beverly Hills have the listing.

Stay tuned for her next installment

Actress Jennifer Morrison has listed her Encino home for sale at $979,000.

The Mediterranean-style house, built in 1966, contains about 2,000 square feet of living space in three stories. The home features an updated kitchen, three bedrooms and 21/2 bathrooms. A covered patio, built-in barbecue, spa and waterfall complete the nearly half-acre of grounds.

Morrison, 32, played Dr. Allison Cameron on "House M.D." from 2004 to 2010. She stars in the series "Once Upon a Time," which started last year.

Public records show she bought the property in 2005 for $1.059 million.

Tracy T. Maltas of Partners Trust in Brentwood is the listing agent.

Keeping up with ex-Laker's moves

It's getting harder to tell who the celebrities are these days: the residents, the houses or the agents themselves.

A Marina del Rey house that former Laker Lamar Odom rented a few years back has come on the market for sale at $1.995 million or for lease at $9,500 a month

The contemporary Mediterranean is vying for a spot on HGTV's "Selling L.A.," where agent Rebekah Schwartz would have 30 minutes to find a buyer — or so it would seem after clever editing. Schwartz, of Hilton & Hyland in Beverly Hills, also made a recent appearance on "The Best Place I Ever Sold."

The 4,800-square-foot house, built in 1999 and set on a walk-street a block from the ocean, features a gym, multiple balconies, vaulted ceilings in the master bedroom and a three-car garage. There are four bedrooms and four bathrooms.

The property last changed hands in 2003 for $1.43 million.

After Odom's marriage to Khloe Kardashian in 2009, the couple bought a house in Tarzana for $3.95 million. The more than 8,300-square-foot home includes seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms.

The ex-Laker, 34, was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in December. Kardashian, 27, has appeared on "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" since 2007 and "The Apprentice" (2009).

The second season of the pair's reality show "Khloe & Lamar" focuses on the couple's move to Texas.

In a rare demand that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles buy back as many as 193,000 flawed vehicles, the top U.S. traffic safety agency signaled a tougher stance on automakers that don't identify and quickly repair defects.